Brom Born possibly in Waiblingen, son of Duke Friederich of Swabia. In 1147 he became Duke of Swabia and was crowned, Holy Roman Emperor in 1155. It was said of him ‘His character was such that not even those envious of his power can belittle its praise’.

He died in 1190 while crossing the Goksu River in south-eastern Anatolia, - thrown from horse and weighed down by his armour he drowned in water barely hip-deep.